Lynchburg Concerts Presents

Afternoon in the Country 2017: Featuring Parmalee

Taylor Acorn

Sun 10.15.17

Doors: 1:30 pm / Show: 2:30 pm

Phase 2

Lynchburg, VA

$14.99 - $59.50

This event is all ages

PARMALEE: Known for their #1 Single "Carolina" Plus Top 10 Hits "Already Callin' You Mine" and "Close Your Eyes"! Highly Anticipated Sophomore Album Out July 21st Featuring the New Smash Hit "Sunday Morning"!

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Known for their #1 Single "Carolina" Plus Top 10 Hits "Already Callin' You Mine" and "Close Your Eyes"! Highly Anticipated Sophomore Album Out July 21st Featuring the New Smash Hit "Sunday Morning"!

From this tiny town that’s home to a gas station, two blinking yellow lights, and a small tin- roofed barn dubbed Studio B, country rockers Parmalee launched their long journey to Nashville. The near-fatal robbery Parmalee experienced after a show would have destroyed most bands. But brothers Matt and Scott Thomas, cousin Barry Knox and longtime friend Josh McSwain didn't call it quits. Instead it reinforced their intense motivation and dedication to one another and to their determination to succeed.

Each obstacle that delayed Parmalee’s arrival to Nashville was an extra mile that allowed the groundbreaking sounds of artists like Jason Aldean and Eric Church to pave the way for the worlds of country radio and Parmalee’s brand of country music to meet at the perfect crossroad.
Parmalee’s country rock sound has its roots in the bluegrass, traditional country, southern rock and blues covers the guys grew up hearing their families play.

Matt and Scott Thomas grew up near Greenville, NC watching their father Jerry front a popular local southern rock blues band. The boys watched and learned, picking up their own instruments and jamming along with their dad's band. From this they learned how to integrate their own style into the songs they were playing. Barry Knox, who played drums for the church choir, loved what his cousins were doing and soon joined them.

All that practice paid off one night when Matt and Scott, then teenagers, snuck into a club to watch their father perform. "The guitar player got too drunk before the gig and didn't show," Matt explains. "I knew all the songs so my dad called me on stage. I was in the band from that point on." Scott replaced the drummer, and Barry learned bass in order to secure his spot in the band. The line-up became the newly minted The Thomas Brothers Band.

The Thomas Brothers Band cut their teeth on the local club circuit and would often share the same marquee with a cover band that starred their friend Josh McSwain on guitar and keys. Josh’s upbringing paralleled Matt, Scott and Barry’s. Josh also traveled and played with his father who was in a bluegrass band called “Get Honked.” A fan of Josh’s musical prowess, Matt invited Josh to play with Barry, Scott and himself. The foursome clicked immediately on stage. Their first gig was held at local watering hole, Corrigans, near East Carolina University where the guys went to school. From this moment in 2001 Parmalee was born.

The band set up camp every Tuesday and Thursday evening in the Parmele, NC barn they named Studio B after its original builder Mark Bryant. They added an extra “e” to the band's name to make it easier for those outside the area to pronounce it. “Tuesdays and Thursdays were the only nights we could all get together and rehearse – the rest of the time we were each out working in order to fund Parmalee,” Matt says. “Every person in town could hear us practice in the barn, so we also had to stop at 11 p.m. to be considerate of the neighborhood."

The residents of Parmele weren't the only ones within earshot. The band developed a devout regional following based on the intensity of their live shows. But, the guys knew to turn their dreams into reality they would have to leave North Carolina. Their journey took them all over the country including New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta as they tried to find their musical direction. All of the producers, managers, and label representatives said the same thing: "you guys need to be in Nashville."

Matt, Barry and Josh parked their RV, which doubled as their studio, in the Comfort Inn parking lot on Nashville’s famed Demonbreun Street near Music Row. For the next month the parking lot was home and office. They began writing new material and networking. Their new connections led to a co-writing session with David Fanning, who is part of the celebrated production team New Voice with Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy and Rich Redmond. "Going into these appointments, you never know who you're going to meet or how it's going to go," Matt explains. "But when I wrote with David, we hit it off."

During the same weekend as the infamous Nashville flood, Parmalee and Fanning wrote “Musta Had a Good Time” - even recording the demo in the RV’s recording “studio” - oblivious to the devastation that was happening to the city around them. After the “Flood Sessions,” Parmalee went into the studio with New Voice to record some sides, including “Carolina,” and “Musta Had a Good Time.” NV played the songs for BBR Music Group President/CEO Benny Brown who was impressed and asked to see a showcase as soon as the band returned to Nashville.

Parmalee put together a short tour in North Carolina to fund the trip back to Music City. But after the first show, plans changed.

After their September 21, 2010 show, Josh and Barry were packing gear in the venue while Matt and Scott were outside loading their RV when two armed men knocked on the door. The men put a gun to Matt’s head and demanded money. Shots were fired. Scott, who possessed a concealed weapons license, fired back. One of the gunmen died and Scott was shot three times. One bullet hit Scott's femoral artery causing him to nearly bleed to death. "He bled out on the air flight to Charlotte, and his heart stopped twice," Matt recalls. "When we got to the hospital, the doctor gave him a five percent chance to live."

Scott was hospitalized in Charlotte, NC for 35 days - 10 of which he spent in a coma. News of the shooting spread like wildfire and the local news stations carried weekly reports on Scott's progress. Parmalee's fans turned out in droves to show their support. Through Facebook campaigns and benefits they raised enough money to help cover Scott's medical bills. The Nashville community also rallied behind Parmalee donating autographed items and VIP packages to help cover Scott’s medical expenses. "We knew we had a lot of friends and fans," Josh says. "But we found out exactly how many we had.”

By February 2011, Scott was well enough to get behind a drum kit for the first time and the band finally performed their promised label showcase. "We wouldn't tell everybody how bad off I was because there was no way I wasn't going to play that show," Scott says. "I was in a leg brace, but I only had to get through six songs. Parmalee had fought for so much for so long that we decided we hadn’t come this far to stop now." Through sheer willpower, the band nailed the set and landed a deal with Stoney Creek Records, home to ACM Vocal Duo of the Year Thompson Square and chart-topper Randy Houser.

Looking back on their experiences, the members of Parmalee have no regrets about the path they chose. “All the obstacles and craziness we’ve been through allowed us to help find our home in Nashville,” Matt says. "It took us going through all that to mold us," Barry continues. "In Hollywood and New York we were always pushed in opposite directions. But Nashville helped us capture our sound – a sound that’s authentic to who we are as both artists and as people."

“Artists like Jason Aldean and Eric Church helped pave the way for our country rock sound. If you think of Jason Aldean as the rockin’ side of country then think of Parmalee as the country side of rock,” Matt explains.

All of Parmalee’s hard work, dedication and perseverance is paying off in a big way. Country fans voted the band’s debut single, “Musta Had A Good Time,” #1 for 4 consecutive weeks on SiriusXM’s The Highway “Hot 30 LIVE” countdown and the song became a Top 40 hit on mainstream country radio. The fun-loving party anthem has been featured in national sporting event broadcasts from the PGA to MLB. Parmalee was named a “Bubbling Under Artist” by Billboard magazine (June 2013) and one of Clear Channel’s NEW! Artists to Watch in 2013. MTV Networks also hand picked Parmalee to perform as part of its 2013 O Music Awards and the foursome recently appeared on the 4th Annual American Country Awards.

Parmalee recently made history when its multi-week #1 smash “Carolina” became the longest climbing single by a duo or group in the 24-year history of the Billboard Country Airplay Chart. Parmalee was also the first multi-member Country act to garner a #1 single on both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase/ Country Aircheck charts since Florida Georgia Line. “Carolina” was recently certified GOLD (for over 500,000 in sales) by the RIAA.

Parmalee’s debut country album, FEELS LIKE CAROLINA, has earned critical praise from People, The New York Times, USA Today, Newsday, Billboard and more. A 2014 semi-finalist for the Academy of Country Music’s coveted “New Artist of the Year” award, Parmalee recently joined one of country’s leading male vocalists, Jake Owen, on his Days Of Gold Tour as the band’s new single, “Close Your Eyes” climbs the country radio charts.

Taylor Acorn doesn't remember a time when she wasn't singing. The country newcomer was drawn to music as a child and began taking voice lessons at a young age. After her father passed away when she was eight, she soon began writing songs in her journal as a way to cope with her loss. By the time she was 15, she taught herself how to play guitar and began competing in local talent shows.
Once she began college at Kutztown University, Taylor took some time off from singing where she ran track and field for two years on scholarship. But she couldn't avoid the music bug for too long. After posting several cover songs on YouTube and receiving an overwhelmingly positive response, she realized she had to give music a real shot.
"That's when I decided I just wanted to play music," the 23-year-old recalls. "That's what I've been wanting to do since I was a kid."
After graduation Taylor moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia, where she currently resides. The singer continues to hone her sound and write between frequent trips to Nashville and performances. She has also shared the stage with acts like Old Dominion, Chase Bryant and Adam Craig, among others.
The singer/songwriter pens all her music herself and current single "Put It In a Song" showcases Taylor's warm vocals and embodies her pop-country sound best. A song that has Taylor in the passenger seat beside her love interest, she sings of how she hopes to be the girl he wants in his life.
"I just want to be the one that you wanted / I just wanna give you all I've got / But I don't know how to tell you without it all coming out wrong / I'll put it in a song, turn it up, windows down, sing it loud," she sings.
Taylor says she wrote the song as she was thinking about a relationship she was in at the time. It was the moment where she realized she cared for her significant other but wasn't quite ready to say "I love you." Instead, she wrote her feelings down in the form of a song.
"You're thinking of all the reasons to why you feel the way that you do, but you couldn't personally say it," she explains. "That's the vibe I was going for. I felt that could relate to a lot of people. As soon as I started writing it and playing it on my guitar, I was like, 'Man, this has a really cool vibe to it.'"
The perfect summer anthem, "Put It In a Song" recalls the soft singing style of Colbie Caillat and relatability of Kelsea Ballerini alongside soaring musical accompaniment. Taylor says she thinks writing the song solely by herself draws the listener more intimately into her world and she prides herself on her raw and honest lyrics.
"I want people to be able to feel what I put out and what I sing," she says. "I want it to be 110-percent me [and] I want people to be able to say, 'Oh my gosh, I feel the exact same way!' It's more authentic to put all of your emotions out on the table. I just want to be very real."
Taylor is currently working on her debut EP and promises the release will showcase her at her best. "Put It In a Song" is her introduction to the world and she hopes listeners can relate to all of her music. So far, "Put It In a Song" is making waves as it has been featured on Spotify's Viral Hits in Canada as well as the streaming service's Fresh Country and All About Country playlists. With over one million streams on Pandora's New Country playlist, the singer's voice is most certainly being heard.
Her debut release "What Do I Do," which was recorded in Nashville last year, has seen similar success and was featured on Apple Music's #CoolCountry playlist as well as Tidal's Artist On the Rise platform. It's a major feat for the songwriter, who admits it took some convincing to share her music with the world.
"For a really long time, I was writing songs and I was just so afraid. I was afraid of what people would think, or if they would like them, if they would even care to listen," Taylor admits.
Now, no longer afraid to have her voice heard, Taylor says she hopes her music is one that the listener embraces.
"I want my music to be able to relate to what they're feeling. If it's a feel good song, I want them to feel good. If they've had their heart broken, I want them to know that I've been there too," she says. "Having been able to grow up and go to school outside of the music scene, I've dealt with everything. I hope my music will show that and connect with people on a different level."